It is reported that ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb wrote to the army commanders:
“Do not place al-Barāʾ in command of any force, for he is a peril among perils, ever driving the men headlong.” (1)

We have also received word that on the day of the battle against Musaylimah the Liar, al-Barāʾ told his companions to raise him upon a shield, on the tips of their spears, and throw him over the wall into the Garden. He burst in upon the enemy, charged them, and fought until he opened the gate of the compound. On that day he suffered some eighty-odd wounds, and for that reason Khālid ibn al-Walīd stayed with him for a full month treating his injuries. (2)

It became famous that al-Barāʾ killed in single combat one hundred of the bravest warriors during his campaigns.

Maʿmar narrated from Ayyūb, from Ibn Sīrīn, who said:
During the siege of Tustar (3) al-Ashʿarī said to al-Barāʾ ibn Mālik, “We have found a tunnel that opens into the center of the city. Select a few men to enter it with you.”

Al-Barāʾ then said to Majzaʿah ibn Thawr, “Look for a youthful, hardy man from your clan and name him to me.”

Majzaʿah asked, “Why?”

He replied, “I need him for something.”

Majzaʿah said, “I myself am that man.”